Bright Lights
by Ballet by Night
Summary: Lana is a new dancer to the Ballet Company, Altea Arts. Starting out on her first day, she has no idea what she's getting into. Nutcracker Season and Swan Lake was started out full swing and Lana had to jump right in, with no idea what she was going to expect. In a blur of pointe shoes, tutus, and bobby pins, Lana is thrown - literally - into the world of Altea Arts Ballet.


**Hey Everyone! I sort of died on you guys, since I got an AO3 account and posted this on there as well. You can go check it out if you want, this story's completed over there. I'm back and better than ever, and I will be rewriting Miraculously Swapped there and here too, soo... Thank you all for reading!**

 **This is a Fem! Lance Klance fic, just to let y'all know. And a ballet AU. Ballet Terms are at the bottom.**

 **-Ballet by Night**

* * *

Lana McClain was a 17 year old girl, with hopes and dreams like any other. But, she spent her time hoping and working to get into Altea Arts Company for Ballet. They were the best ballet company in the world, and Lana wanted more than anything just to be in it. Her time with her previous studio was good, and she got a lot of experience, but Lana wanted to start a career, and this was how she was going to do it. She sent her resume in, got recommendations and scholarships there, but she hadn't been confirmed to go yet.

Until she got the letter. The letter that finally said that she got accepted into the Altea Arts Ballet Company. She screamed in joy when she read it, and scared three of the brothers with her loud screech. She jumped up and down in joy, and hugged her family as long as she thought possible before her arms fell off. Her family helped her pack up, and then she was off, on a 10 hour flight away from Cuba to Europe, just to be with the best dancers in the world.

But it was worth it. At least to Lana it was.

* * *

Lana walked into Studio B, after wandering around for 5 minutes just trying to find the place. Apparently she was early to class, since there wasn't anyone in there yet. The pianist and the teacher were, however, and they were just standing around talking. When Lana walked in their attention went straight to her.

"Hi! You must be Lana." The woman says, smiling brightly at Lana. Lana smiled back shyly, unsure of what was happening. This never happened at her old school. No one was this friendly.

"Yup, that's me." Lana gave a little wave. _You waved? Lana, really. They probably think you're really weird._ Lana thought, putting her hand down.

"Welcome to the company!" She says happily.

"Thank you." Lana says sincerely.

"So, you are aware that we are preparing for our Nutcracker Season, right?" The woman asks. Lana nods. "Well, we just lost our principal due to pregnancy leave, and she won't be here for that ballet. We are moving up a corps member that shows promise to the position of Clara. I've already seen all of the corps members already, since we started classes a few days before you arrived. But, after this class, I'm hoping that I'll see promise in you. I've heard great things from your last teacher."

"Oh, thanks." Lana says, and the woman notices another man walking into the room, a boy that looked a little older than her. She whispered some things to him, and he turned his Violet eyes straight towards her. She turned away as she felt a blush creep up on her face, focusing more on putting her pointe shoes on than the two people talking next to her.

Then another man walked in. This one with more swagger. He had white-ish hair and a smirk permanently on his lips. He set himself right next to Lana at the barre, sending her smiles and looks.

"Hey newbie, what's your name?" He asks.

"Lana McClain. Who are you?" Lana asks, ruder than she intended.

"Lotor, at your service." He mock bowed to Lana. Lana rolled her eyes at his behavior.

"May I ask what part you have in the production?" Lana asks, shoving kindness into her voice.

"I'm cast as a party scene adult and a Russian dancer in act 2." Lotor responds.

"Good for you." Lana says, turning to stretch with her leg on the bar.

More people started filtering into the classroom, and more people started talking to the two people up front. Then the pianist, a small girl in a green sweater, started playing a simple melody to signal to people that class was starting. Lana took off her hoodie, leaving her in a Cuban flag shirt and black leggings. Her hair was pulled back into a decent bun, and she had little cat earrings in (they were from her younger sister as a departing present).

Allura, the teacher, introduced Lana and herself to the company, and showed the exercise for plies. Lana nodded and stood in first position, hearing the music and preparing with it. As she turned her head to the center of the classroom, she met eyes with the Violet-eyed boy across the room, and she smiled at him. He grimaced and turned his head to the mirror, as if using his head. But Lana knew it was because she smiled at him. Were that not that friendly? Did she overstep her bounds? Oh holy crow, did she mess this up this early?

Lana got out of her head and finished the exercise, before going on with the rest of barre. The barre was basic and easy, nothing that Lana couldn't handle. She got a few corrections, but felt Allura's eyes on her the entire time.

The class then moved to center: Lana's favorite. Lana's specialty she felt was pirouettes. She loved the feeling of whipping around in the turn, feeling the finishing pose and the looks you get when you achieve multiple. So, when Allura gave the basic exercise _Tomber pas de bourree fourth, pirouette,_ with the instructions 'do as many pirouettes as you want' Lana grinned and got on her balance for pirouettes. The class decided to go by twos, so Allura could focus on people easier, Lana stood towards the back, letting the other people go first. She didn't want to be rude and get in their way. Apparently Violet eyes decided the same thing, and stood back with her.

"I never caught your name." Lana said quietly to him, watching his focus snap to her face quickly from the class.

"I'm Keith." Keith informs. Lana stays silent until it's their turn. The walk out onto the floor, a few feet apart, and the pianist starts playing again. Lana prepares and starts the combination with Keith. She gets to the fourth and smiles slightly. She knew she was on her leg that day. Lana decided that 4 or 5 pirouettes would be a good warm up, since the others girls did two and even three. She landed her fifth pirouette right with the music and started to the other side, where she nailed 5 again. She looked over at Keith, who was staring at her. He had finished his triple and watched her finish. Allura started clapping.

"I see you really like turns, Lana." Allura commented, and Lana nodded, her face heating up. "Well, that's good, because we're doing fouettes!"

The whole class groaned simultaneously. Lana smiled.

"Girls, one by one on the floor. Do as many as you can until you fall over." Allura smiles evilly.

Lana decided to go last, since the other girls weren't too happy about going in the first place. There were only 20 girls in the whole class. Wow, what Lana read was right. They really were short on girls this year. Lana wasn't complaining, though. It got her into the company, and that's all that mattered. As Lana watched the girls, most didn't get more than 20 at best. She waited patiently for her turn, feeling the gaze of Lotor burning into her back. She had taken off her leggings, leaving her in just her Cuba shirt. It made her more mobile in fouettes, anyway.

Lana walked out to the middle of the center, feeling the music start up around her and the eyes of the other dancers on her as she prepared. Lana started her turn sequence with a double pirouette, going into a series of single and double fouettes, feeling herself get more and more on her leg each time she turned. She heard the people around her start to count as she turned. They had reached 24 by then, and Lana just went faster.

She made it to 42 before finally finishing her sequence, breathing heavily and putting her hands on her knees. She looked up and smiled when she heard clapping.

"Lana that was incredible!" Allura says, clapping Lana on the back. Lana smiled at her and walked over to her water bottle, taking a sip. Then the boys started their fouettes. Lotor was first, the hotshot he was, and he got to 20 before stopping. Not bad, Lana thought. The rest of the guys went before Keith, and none made it over 15. But then Keith started his fouettes. He looked over at Lana and she swore he _winked_ at her. But she couldn't be too sure. So she ignored it. She watched Keith's smooth fouettes, and he got to 32 fouettes before stopping, gasping for air as well. He made his way to his water bottle, and Lana clapped for him lightly. He looked over at her as he took a drink. She thought he was going to come talk to her before Lotor came over.

"Lana, you were so good!" Lotor compliments.

"Thank you, Lotor. You were as well." Lana says politely, trying to listen to see if Allura was giving the next exercise.

"Maybe I can take you to coffee later?" Lotor asks, a wink catching her eye and she internally groaned.

"Actually, I've gotta talk to Allura later and then unpack at home. I've barely done anything, there's still boxes in my car." Lana says.

"Maybe I could help you?" Lotor asks, earnest to talk with her.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, though." Lana says, brushing past Lotor to walk to the other side of the classroom, so that she could learn the combination. Allura gave a grand allegro, which the men started. Lana watched a little as the men danced, but was more focused on the girl across the classroom who was sending glares at her. Each one was like a dagger through Lana, and she didn't know what she did wrong.

Lana gave up on looking at the girl discretely, since it was her turn to do the grand allegro. She breezed through it, smiling brightly and bouncing off the floor. Allura smiled as she finished the exercise, and Lana smiled back. Allura was a smiley person, Lana decided. She was smiling at Lana all morning. But that surely will change in rehearsal, Lana reasoned. Especially if Lana was in the corps. The corps was constantly yelled at.

But class finished and the class clapped. Lana was beckoned over after class by Allura, who was standing at the piano with the pianist.

"Thanks, Pidge." Allura was telling the pianist. Pidge was her name. Lana would have to remember that, she seemed nice.

"Thanks." Lana says as well, and Allura turned her attention to Lana.

"Lana, you were fantastic today! Your teacher wasn't lying when she said you were good... And, as I told you, we are in dire need of another principal girl. We had our first soloist, Acza, move up to be the sugar plum fairy, and our second soloist already has a part. We need a new girl, someone who has the right feel to be Clara in our Nutcracker, and I think, my dear, that that is you." Allura says, gently tapping Lana's forehead.

"Me? Are you sure? It's only my first day here, I mean, this could've been a fluke class or something." Lana says, which makes Allura's brows furrow.

"I don't think so, Lana. Clara rehearsal starts today. You're officially cast as Clara for the entirety of Nutcracker, see to it that your at rehearsal today." Allura says. "This is your shot to prove that you're principal material. You don't have a second cast, you will have an understudy. But unless you're hurt, you're performing all 21 shows as Clara. Pace yourself."

Allura walks away, leaving a stunned Lana standing in her place.

Oh boy.

This was going to be a long Nutcracker season.

* * *

 **Tomber pas de bourree fourth pirouette - glide into a plie with your foot pointed in back, beat your legs with moving to the side and moving your leg to a fourth position to prepare, and then pirouette**

 **Fouettes - Like pirouettes but you kick your leg out from front to second before going into another pirouette**

 **Grand Allegro - A series of big jumps across the floor**


End file.
